Herself’s Houston Garden

From the unintended consequences dept. . .

Squirrels have bitten to death a stray dog which was barking at them in a Russian park, local media report.
Passers-by were too late to stop the attack by the black squirrels in a village in the far east, which reportedly lasted about a minute.

They are said to have scampered off at the sight of humans, some carrying pieces of flesh.

A pine cone shortage may have led the squirrels to seek other food sources, although scientists are sceptical.

The attack was reported in parkland in the centre of Lazo, a village in the Maritime Territory, and was witnessed by three local people. Read more Russian squirrel pack ‘kills dog’

More information:
Furious squirrels attack stray dog
The pack of mutant black squirrels that are giving Britain’s grey population a taste of their own medicine

I lived in the DFW area in the early eighties for two years and never once saw a live armadillo. We moved to Houston in ’05 and it took another two years before I saw a live one. It had gotten to be a joke that some fairies just put dead ones out in the middle of the night to find in the morning.

The eyesight on these guys is so bad that I was able to photograph one with out being noticed from about 2′ away. They seem to have little fear of humans if you don’t startle them.

There are many kinds of armadillos, which are mammals, and their closest living relatives are sloths and anteaters. In the United States we have the 9 banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus ). It is the only known mammal to give birth to four and always four identical, same sexed, quadruplets. Gestation is about 150 days. Birth usually occurs in March or April. The life span of the armadillo can be as long as 15 years. Armadillo adults weigh between 8 to 17 pounds.

While mostly nocturnal they can occasionally be found looking for food during the day, especially in colder weather.  They prefer shady areas dense in trees and brush that are close to water supplies.  They also prefer areas with loose, loamy soils.

Armadillos can move fast when needed and can also swim or walk across shallow streams.

Gardeners know them from the damage they wreck in the garden while we sleep. If you wake up to find your garden roto-tilled a few inches deep, it was likely an armadillo. They are looking for grubs and other tasty insects in your garden. 90% of the diet of an armadillo is insects, including earth worms.  Occasionally they will eat berries, vegetables, soft roots or eggs.

To keep them out of your garden you need a strong fence buried several inches below ground level, and angled at about 40′ since they can climb, or more easily mulch. Armadillos tend not to like the smell of mulch. So fresh layers of mulch do more than hold water in your soil.

If you are looking to trap an armadillo you’ll need a trap about 10″x12″x32″.  Traps are best set along pathways to armadillo burrows.  Traps open at both ends do not need bait, rotting fruit is best in traps that must be baited.

Armadillos can carry the bacteria for leprosy, so you should handle them and areas they occupy with care.

See also:
Armadillo online

I’ve several posts up on butterfly, more Butterfly gardening, hummingbird and bee gardens but what about other wildlife?

Of course the first question is do you want other wildlife? Not every one is keen on birds, squirrels, possums and other critters. The cats and I love bird watching, they seem to dislike the squirrels as much as I do. The possums, skunks and other things that find their way to here are cool to watch but leave the cats trembling. ( I have very wimpy cats. ) Fred being a tabby, does not look all that different from a skunk at night. One summer evening I went out to fetch him from under a shrub and found a skunk. We parted peacefully but it was a close call. So think before you decide you want to attract critters to your backyard.

A pond is a great attractor of wildlife. We had one up north stocked with goldfish. In the winter before and after the top froze a local sushi eating raccoon would come clean the pond out. We haven’t yet added a pond to this yard, but it is on the list of things to do in the garden.

You can create a Certified Backyard Habitat pretty easily. You need food, water, homes for critters, sustainable gardening, then finally you certify your home. Food sources include plants with seeds, fruits, nuts, and nectar. Providing water can be as simple as putting out a bird bath or as fancy as a built in pond. Cover and places to raise the young are thickets, piles of rocks, birdhouses etc. Sustainable gardening is using things wisely – mulch, compost, collect rain, skip the chemicals, etc.

You can Become a Certified Texas Naturalist Feb 15th is the application deadline. Classes are two Saturdays a month from March 1st until sometime in Oct. They also have several talks and events that are open to the public.

A little water can go a long way in attracting wildlife. Bog gardens can provide lizards, skinks and toads with water. Also give them some rocks to hide under or an over turned clay pot or two and they’ll move right in. ( I was reading about skinks in a flyer and I confirmed it with Google. I thought someone was pulling my leg, skinks? Who named those critters? )/

Some tips for attracting wildlife to your garden:

1) Food – native sources are best, you want native plants that have seeds, nectar, nuts, and berries. Feeders are good as a supplement but should not be the main source of food you provide.

2) Replicate what you see in the wild ( at least as far as the HOA will let you ). Use different height plants and group them in tiered arrangements with clusters of plants containing large, medium and small plants. Birds love the shrubs underneath tall trees.

3) Native species need less care and water and therefore less chemicals.

4) Shelter for critters is needed. Shrubs and hedges work well, you can add in bird houses or bat houses.

5) Dead wood; trees, logs etc provide homes. You can use old logs to line raised beds.

6) Insects are good, well most of them are. Lots of critters eat bugs and will move into your yard if you have their food.

7) Mulch provides shelter for worms, lizards, and toads.

8 ) For water ponds, bird feeders, bog or a swalw garden. Shallow water sources work just fine.

9 ) Keep it neat. You can have a wildscape that does not antagonize your neighbors or the HOA. Having a wildscape does not mean letting your yard run amok.

Other things you can do:

Help the Texas Nature Trackers